San Mateo Times publisher accused of rigging ‘best-of’ survey to favor advertisers

ANG Newspapers, the company that publishes the San Mateo Times, Oakland Tribune and four other papers published faked "Best of" reader surveys that featured current and potential advertisers in place of reader-selected winners, according to Grade the News.

David Marin, who was fired from his job as director of advertising in March 2003, filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court alleging that the Tribune’s parent company, ANG newspapers, committed a "massive hoax" on readers, advertisers and the general public by ignoring survey results and hand-picking the names of businesses to receive awards.

In the suit, Mr. Marin says that before he took over the department in June 2002, another manager "would take the true poll results into a room by herself and alter the results, emerging with a new set of ‘winners.’" A call to the home of the woman named in the suit was not returned.

ANG, owned by Denver-based MediaNews Group, publishes the San Mateo County Times, Oakland Tribune, Alameda Times-Star, Hayward Daily Review, Fremont Argus, and Tri-Valley Herald. The Pacifica Tribune is owned by MediaNews, but apparently is not part of ANG.